Tanju Devi is a member of the Tharu tribe and she lives in a forested area in West Champaran along the Indo-Nepal border. She comes from a community which has had to face a long history of abuse, neglect, and degradation at the hands of other communities. Having witnessed injustice at such close quarters all her life, she worked hard…

Tanju Devi

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The absence of a bridge over Harbora river is causing a lot of trouble for the residents of Harpur Panchayat in West Champaran, Bihar. The community is more concerned about their children having to cross the river every day, just to attend school. When the river is flooded, everyone is stuck in their homes - oftentimes without food as the market is also on the other side of the river.

The community has approached Ward Members, MLAs and authorities multiple times in hope of resolving the issue but nothing has been done yet. Residents call these public representatives hollower than their assurances of building a bridge over the river, for they only show up to plead for a vote and are never seen again after the elections are over. All this trouble has drained the community's trust in government representatives. 'If a village 3 km's away from the administrative block office is subjected to such negligence, then what hope can we have from this government?'

Community Correspondent Tanju Devi thinks this issue needs further intervention and is submitting an application to the District Development Officer. As Tanju leads the campaign on the ground, we can help Tanju by messaging and calling the DDO on 06254232535 in support of her cause - this will catalyze the process and make sure a bridge is built on Harbora river as soon as possible.

Basic infrastructural needs must be fulfilled before any other development is planned. Building a bridge over Harbora river is a must to improve the living conditions of the community at Harpur.

Tanju Devi reports from West Champaran, Bihar for IndiaUnheard

This video was made by a Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Tanju Devi. Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’ They give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges. See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a more just global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change.